Medical appliance



V 1 June 13, 1933. B I AKER 1,914,188

MEDICAL APPLIANCE Filed Dec. 10, 1951 lNVENTOR. Z/oya 5. W/wffdkerafdlht;

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED STAT PATENT OFFICE LLOYn WHI'ITAKEB, orWHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, AssIGNort T HOLLAND nnn'ros COMPANY, me, on NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK MEDICAL APPLIANCE Applicationfiled December 10, 1931. Serial No. 580,038.

This inventionrelates to medical appliances and is adapted moreparticularly to facilitate the introduction of medicaments and the likein liquid, semi liquid or jelly 55 form into particular passages of thehuman body. 7'

More specifically, the invention is-especially adapted for employment infacilitating theintroduction of medicinaljellies into the vaginal canalfor; direct application to the cervix.

Medicinal jellies whichare generally used in this connectio-n' 'arecommonly packaged 'in collapsible tubes, and great difficulty isexperienced in applying the jelly from such tubes to the stated parts ofthe human body. The more commonpractice 'is to squeeze a portion of thejelly from the tube'on to a suitable applying implement and there- 1201lupon attempt to make the application through the employment ofsuchimplement. Experience has shown, however, that in a majority ofcaseswhere this is-attempted, the jelly does not reach the point ofdesired .51 application, but is removed from the implement before suchpoint is reached. Furthermore, in utilizing the separate and independentimplement for the purposes stated,

unsanitary conditions'are apt to result with" .0.1 consequent infection.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, the object of the presentinvent-ion is to provide a medical appliance'adapted to 'be associateddirectly with acollapsible 5;; tube. by securing the appliance on to thethreaded neck of the tube after remo'valof the conventional captherefrom.

In its preferred practical form,'the.invention comprises a cylindricaltube which,

in practice, may conveniently be made by Wrapping one or more strips ofpaper about a suitable mandrel and adhesively securing the superimposedplies or laminations to one another to produce a r1g1d permanentstructure. The tubular structure which results has an inner diameterslightly less than the threaded neck of the collapsible tube with whichit is adapted for use. It has a free and unobstructed opening at one endadapted to cooperate with the tube neck While the opposite end iscrimped inwardly so as to impart a somewhat rounded configuration tosaid end of the appliance, whereby it willv not scratch or injure thebody tissue during passage through the in- 'troitus and vaginal canal.

Features of the invention, other than those specified, will be apparentfrom the hereinafter detailed description and claim, when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing. 1 v

The accompanying drawing illustrates one practical embodiment of theinvention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood asillustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation ofan appliance embodying the presentinvention showing the same operatively associated with acollapsibletube, one end of which is shown 1 in this figure.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1,1 but showing the opposite endportions of the appliance in central section, so that the structure ofthe device will be apparent. 76

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the appliance of this invention.It is in the form of a hollow tubular body of cylindrical configurationand in practice is preferably constructed of relatively soft fibrous ma-80 terial, such, for example, as paper. It can' conveniently be made bysparingly wrapping strips of paper over one. another to form a laminatedtube-like structure of a multiplicity of plies, there being, four pliesshown inthe drawing.

As the plies are wrapped, they are ad'-- hesively secured together toform a rigid structure which will retain its shape under ordinaryconditions of use and at the same I time be not so rigid as to beuncomfortable in particular cases. The interior portion of the tube mayto advantage be coated with some moisture repelling substance such, for

5 example, as paraifin wax, so as to present a liquid impervious surfaceto material passing through the tubular structure. The external surfacemay be similarly coated although, in practice, I find it convenient touse a glazed paper for the outermost ply and to thereby produce asubstantially frictionless surface which will not rub or chafe, but willslide freely over the most delicate tissues. The tube is wrapped in themanner described with a wall of substantially uniform thicknessthroughout and of substantlally uniform diameter. One end of the tube isthereupon flanged or crnnped inwardly as indicated at 2, so as toproduce a. rounded or tapered slightly smaller than the threaded neck 3of a collapsible tube 4 with which the device is adapted to be used.These collapsible tubes are of conventional form and the size of theneck is practically standard. As a matter of fact, it is preferable thatthe interior diameter of the device 1 be substantially equal to thediameter of the neck at the base of the threads.

Inasmuch as the material entering into the tubular structure is of paperwhich may be generally characterized as relatively yieldable fibrousmaterial, it is apparent that when so shaped and proportioned thisdevice may be screwed upon the neck 3 of a 401 collapsible tube and theact of applying the device as stated to the tube will cause the threadedneck of the tube to cut threads in the inner surface of the device andto thereby provide a threaded connection between 3 the parts which will.firmly hold the device in place on the tube. When the parts areassembled as stated, the collapsible tube together with the medicalappliance of this invention constitute collectively an instrument forthe application of medicated jellies direct to the cervix, it beingapparent that the length of the tubular part 1 is such that it may beinserted into the passage to K5 bring the outlet end of the part 1 intosub- U 'stantially juxtaposition with the cervix,

whereupon compression of the collapsible tube will cause the jelly to beexuded from the collapsible tube and from thence to pass through thepassage of the device 1 to be in turn exuded from the outlet end of saidde vice for application direct to the cervix.

The device of this invention is economical to manufacture and isintended primarily 651 01 a single use and to thereupon be discarded orthrown away. The tubes are packed in a way to render them sanitary andto keep them free from impurities so that when removed from the packageand applied to the collapsible tube medicated jelly will pass in athoroughly hygenic condition directly from the tube to the point ofapplication and thereby minimize or entirely eliminate the possibilityof infection due to the employment of extraneous and inclependentimplements such as has heretofore been the practice.

In the drawing, I have for the purpose of illustration shown the deviceon somewhat enlarged scale, but, in practice, the device is relativelysmall and the passage through the device is less than the diameter ofthe tube so that there is very little jelly waste even when the deviceis used for a single application and thereupon discarded The device ofthis invention, being adapted as it is to use with conventionalcollapsi-c ble tubes and forming in effect an adjunct to be used inconnection therewith, fulfills a long felt want in the art to which itparticularly relates. V

The drawing and foregoing detailed description sets forth the inventionin its preferred, practical form, but the invention is to be understoodas fully commensurate with the appended claim.

I wish to lay particular emphasis upon the'fact that the appliance ofthis invention is unusually economical. It may conveniently bemanufactured from paper at a cost which is nominal and distributed tothe trade gratuitously with tubes containing the jelly with which it isadapted to be used.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

A medical appliance comprising a hollow paper tubular body, one end ofwhich is crimped inwardly to form a tapered or rounded end which willnot scratch or abrade human body tissue and the other end of which .tubehas a free and unobstructed opening of an internal diameter slightlyless than the diameter of the thread ed neck of a conventionalcollapsible tube, whereby the open, unobstructed end of'the tubular bodymay be screwed on to the threaded neck of such collapsible tube to causethe threads of the collapsible tube to form threads in the tubular bodyto place the surrounding portion of the tubular body under tension forthe purpose of firmly and detachably mounting the tubular body on thecollapsible tube against inadvertent displacement.

In testimony whereof, I have signed the foregoing specification.

LLOYD B. WHITTAKER.

